A single lever control may be used to control a variety of mechanisms. For example, a single lever control may be connected to a set of cables or a set of connected rods and used to control independent hydrostatic or mechanical transmissions which drive wheels on opposite sides of a zero turning radius vehicle. The speed and direction of a zero turning radius vehicle may therefore be controlled by varying the speed of each wheel. By driving one wheel faster than the other it will cause the vehicle to turn about the wheel that is moving more slowly.
A zero turning radius vehicle may be used for a variety of purposes. For example, a zero turning radius vehicle may be fitted with grass cutting equipment and used as a riding lawn mower. The maneuverability of the zero turning radius vehicle allows an operator to cut around objects, such as trees, with ease.
Prior attempts at providing a lever control system for a zero turning radius vehicle has required mounting a right and left control lever on either side of an operator's seat. The right control lever would control the speed of the right wheel and, conversely, the left control lever would control the speed of the left wheel. The operator of a zero turing radius vehicle would operate one lever by each hand thereby requiring the operator to coordinate the movement of each hand to turn the vehicle or to make the vehicle drive in reverse. However, this dual lever control system may sometimes be difficult to operate for the beginning or unskilled operator.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a single lever control which allows the operator to control the vehicle with one hand. This eliminates the need to coordinate one hand with the other in turning and backing. This single lever control also eliminates the need for a second lever arm thereby reducing the cost of the controls.
Other companies such as Schweiss, Incorporated provide a single lever control system for a zero turning radius vehicle. However, Schweiss uses a hydraulically driven control. The hydraulic control system is inherently more complicated and expensive to install and to operate than a single lever cable or rod control. For this reason it is desirable to provide an inexpensive method of providing a single lever control for a zero turning radius vehicle.